6 Things to Consider When Building Your New Team

This week's post is brought to us by our friends at Pendo - a platform for product managers headquartered in Raleigh, NC. Maddi Ury, the author of this week's guest post, is a Recruiter at Pendo. Prior to Pendo, Maddi worked on the recruiting team at Red Ventures. Both roles have given her a unique perspective on building teams during times of high growth.

There are many factors that make a new company stand out to investors and customers — product, market, sustainability, and people. Building a quality team of the right people, at the right time, is one of the most important steps in creating a successful business.

How do we know?

Pendo is a tech company located in Raleigh, NC that has experienced rapid growth over the last two years. We recently closed our Series C funding round and have plans to triple in size this year! Pendo’s leadership team credits much of our success to the quality of people we hire and has taken exceptional measures to continue finding talent that aligns with our goals.

As a recruiter, I work with my team to ensure these standards are fulfilled. Whether it be the 20th employee or the 200th, we want to ensure we find the people who can do the job and fit well in our environment. We believe both are equally important for success.

For those building a new team, here are some important things to consider in your hiring.

1. Motivation

Day-to-day motivation is key to success for a growing team. Each new member must have the energy and excitement to take on new responsibilities that will help with company meet goals. A few questions to check during the interview process are:

Are your hires passionate about seeing your company succeed?

Are they willing to endure growing pains, learn things the hard way, and be flexible during times of rapid change?

Are your hires people who want to make a difference?

Do they possess an internal sense of purpose that keeps them doing their job well?

2. Adaptability

When building a team from the ground up, you must remember that these people will one day be core members of your team. As your first few employees, they will have the opportunity to grow with the team and they need to be able to adjust to the many changes that will come along. At this stage, it is crucial that individuals have an open mind for not only growth, but also for taking different responsibilities and wearing many hats.

3. Value Fit

At Pendo, we put a lot of stock in our core values. These seven values are not only posted along the walls of our office; they are a primary motivator behind our work and actions, including hiring! What are the values that your team emphasizes above all else? Once determined, these values help immensely in identifying candidates that will be the best fit for your team.

4. Skill Set

When developing a new team, it’s critical to find people who are competent enough in their skills that they are able self-guide their work. While you might have some training processes in place, it’s likely you don’t have much time for hand-holding (I know we sure don’t!).

5. Diversity

Diversity in hiring means more than simply hiring team members who don't look like you. Diversity also means you hire to open up the floor to different perspectives, ideas and thoughts throughout the organization. It’s easy to hire people who have the same ideas and same behaviors as yourself, but then you end up creating a product or service that only appeals to people who think like you. Creating an open and diverse company means creating a business that is limitless and can expand across different cultures, backgrounds and perspectives.

6. Recruiting for your brand

During a stage of high growth it’s far too easy to let your recruiting processes become sloppy. Don’t let this happen! It is imperative that you be overly aware of every candidate’s experience. As soon as a candidate submits an application for your job, they become a new spokesperson for your brand. This might mean it’s time to invest in building your recruiting team or taking the time to restructure/streamline your processes. Every recruiting team must focus on this, but it’s especially important when you’re growing and your name is just getting out there.

Here are a few things we are doing at Pendo to ensure an optimal candidate experience:

Formal interview training for our hiring teams

Candidate surveys about the interview experience

Use of an efficient ATS (Applicant Tracking System) that assists with consistent candidate communication

Scaling our recruiting team’s growth with the rest of the business’s growth.

Building a new team can be an exciting process. It takes time and scale to create a process that works for you. But when you can find people with the same commitments and passion for your goals, it makes all the difference in your company’s success.